Submarine cable



Oct. 26 1926.

R. A. HAISLIP SUBMARINE CABLE Filed Maron 28, 1921 Patented O ct. 26, -1926.

UNITED STATES RICHARD A. HAISLIP, QF MONTCLAIR, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T AMERICAN TEI-E' PHONE AND TELEGRAPH COMPANY, A CORPORATION 0F NEW YORK.

PATENT oFFIcE.

" s UBMAmNE CABLE.

Application ined marea 2s, 1921.' serial No. 456,413. y

. vThis invention, relates in general to electric cables, and more particularly to improvements in" submarine cables. It is the usual custom in submarine cables 5 having paper orsimilar fibrous insulation to provide a relatively large amount of in I sulation which is compressed as much as is mechanically possible without injuring the insulation during the strandi process. This compact form is used in or'ife'r that as much resistance as possible may be'offered to the How of water in the event of a break in the sheathing, and that the cable may therefore be taken up and repaired before a `substantial length thereof is ruined.

- It has reviously been proposed to form a cable p ug by impre atin a section cf the cable core, re era ly agout 12 to 24.- inches in len h, 1n a sealing compound, and then subjectlng this section to pressure so that the interstices are filled by the aper insulation. lThe value of a plug o this type in submarine cables lies chieiiy in the fact that with its use a much more efficient 26 cable can be designed and constructed for submarine use, for except at the actual lplugging point, the cable can be mademuc less A dense and therefore more efficient from a transmission standpoint than the present 80 design.

It is an object of this invention to provide l im roved means for confining the core in a cab e plug of this type. 4

In accordance wit this object, the present invention contem lates binding a section of cablecore which llas first been impregnated inasealing compound with elastic rubber tape so as to reduce the diameter to as small a value as possible. The core is then further 4o bound, preferabl with a fabric tape, to build1 up.v lthe diameter to lit the sheath snu y P ugs of this type will also be'of considerable value in land cables as well as' in submarine cables when the plugs are placed in the ends of the cables out of which wires are extended to lterminals or for` connection with other wires. The lugs in such cases will seal the ends of the cables so as to exclude air and moisture, which is present in air, from entering the cores of the cables and thus .impaii'in th'e insulation of the wires within the ca les.

TheV invention will be more clearly under# stood from a. lconsideration of the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing'in which conductors 1 are covered in the usual manner with paper insulating material. A section 2 of the cable core, preferably from 12 to 24 inches in length, is impregnated in any suitable moderately heavy compound preferably of such composition that it will -ow freely and saturate the paper insulation at temperatures of approximately 2300 notbecome hard and brittle at as lowas approximately 32 F.

F., and shall'y temperatures y Afterimpregnating the section of the vcore which is to form the plug, this section isl wrapped one or more times with elastic rubber tape 3 with sufficienty tension accumulatively applied to the tape to bind the cable core into a very compact mass. By

applyingl elastic rubber tape instead of a non-elast1c tape each turn of the tape adds cumulatively to the compressive force on the core so that, within reasonable limits, any desired force can be exerted by applying more or fewer turns for compressing the core of the cable, whereas by applying a non-elastic tape the compressive forceexerted by any number of turns of the tape would remain substantially the same as that caused b the tightest single turn. By applyingUt e tape in this way, most of the sealinlg compound is forced out and spaces are Ii d by the paper insulation. The insulated conductors are, however, more securely held together by-means of the small amount of sealing lcompound remaining.

When the core has been closel confined at this point, it is further woun with the tape 4 which may be 'rubber tape, rubber filled tape or. impregnated tape, so as to buildup the diameter to fit the vsheath 5 snugly. Over the leaden sheath 5 are the usual. hemp covering 6, the steel armor 7 and the outer jute covrinv 8. It will be seen that a cable plug rocuced in accordance with this invention will serve to effectively prevent the flow of water from a broken section into the adjacent section,and thereby prevent Vconsiderable loss. 1

What is claimed is: 1. The method of plugging a submarine 4cable having an outer protective sheath of uniform diameter to prevent the flow of water from a broken section into the adjacent sections which comprises` impregnating a section of the Cable core in a sealing compound, binding the same section o' core with elastic tape so as to force out the excess compound and reduce the diameter to a Value smalle-r than that of the adjacent portions of the core, and subsequently binding the said section of core to build up its ldiameter to it the cable sheath.

-2. In an electric cable having an outer rotective sheath of a uniform diameter, a ,plurality of conductors, librous insulating material covering each of said conductors, a binding of elastic tape tensioned upon` a seotion thereof and adapted through its retraoting effectto hold said conductors in .such olose proximity that fsaid insulating material fills substantially all the spaces therebetween, a sealing-compound adapted to more effectively seal the spaces therebetween, and an outer covering Wound upon ,said elastiextape throughout said section to build up the diameter to fit the cable Sheath.

vIn testimony Wheref, I have signed my name to this specification this March, 1921. l

` RICHARD A. HAISLIP.

8th day, of 

